Polytechnic School
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 951641456
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2009–2024
- Official website data refreshed
- Sep 2026
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Pasadena, CA, USA
- Phone
- (626) 396-6320
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Elementary, Secondary Education, K - 12
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $65,746,628
- Expenses
- $56,129,370
- Assets
- $202,758,946
- Liabilities
- $9,171,903
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
30 people listed
Highest reported compensation
- JOHN BRACKER (HEAD OF SCHOOL): $1,195,726 total reported compensation
- KEITH HUYSSOON (CFO): $356,513 total reported compensation
- LISA WU (ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL, ENROLLMENT AND STRATEGIC): $299,846 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Polytechnic School is an independent, coeducational, day school for approximately 870 students. Values open communication, professional development, and a shared commitment to the vision and mission of the school. Why Poly Stands Out At Poly, community is at the heart of everything we do. Set on a beautiful, well-resourced K–12 campus, our environment is thoughtfully designed to support inspired teaching, engaged learning, and student success. We foster an inclusive, collaborative culture where every employee plays a vital role in advancing our mission and vision. We continuously refine our curriculum, facilities, and work practices to remain relevant and responsive. Most of all, Poly offers a genuine sense of belonging. Beyond a job, you will find a team dedicated to making a differen.
What it reported doing in 2024
Polytechnic school is an independent, coeducational day school for approximately 884 students in kindergarten through grade twelve. The school was established in 1907 and is located on a 15 acre campus in pasadena, California. The school offers a strong academic program, activities beyond the classroom including athletics, outdoor education, community service, and the visual and performing arts. The school strives to reflect the cultural, ethnic and economic diversity present in the pasadena and san gabriel valley area. The school offers small classes which encourage deep student-faculty interaction, facilities that enhance the ability of the faculty to teach, and opportunities for faculty development.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 68% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 85% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
- Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 70
- Transparency & Controls: 70
- Accountability: 88
- Sustainability: 75
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.6%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 79.8%; rating input score 80
- Fundraising efficiency: $6.39 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- Independent consultant: Missing
- Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
- Written employment contract: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Pass
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 87%; rating input score 87; 34th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 14.6%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.61; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.6% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- What they do: 2 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 1 operating location identified
- Where the money goes: 72.6% of revenue deployed · 79.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 20 of 23 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $44.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $1.2M · 30 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Highest-paid contractors: 4 contractors listed · $999K reported
- Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
- Schedules: 13 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
- People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 28/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 17/100.